Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T22:00:54.774Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adaptive management for the sustainable exploitation of lagoon resources in remote islands: lessons from a massive El Niño-induced giant clam bleaching event in the Tuamotu atolls (French Polynesia)

Part of: Humans and Island Environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2017

SERGE ANDRÉFOUËT ,
SIMON VAN WYNSBERGE ,
LINA KABBADJ ,
COLETTE C.C. WABNITZ ,
CHRISTOPHE MENKES ,
THIERRY TAMATA ,
MICHEL PAHUATINI ,
IOTEFA TETAIREKIE ,
IOSUA TEAKA  and
TEIKI AH SCHA
...Show all authors
SERGE ANDRÉFOUËT*
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE (Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, Université de la Réunion, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), B.P.A5, 98848, Nouméa, New Caledonia
SIMON VAN WYNSBERGE
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE (Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, Université de la Réunion, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), BP529 Arue, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
LINA KABBADJ
Affiliation:
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 9220 ENTROPIE (Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, Université de la Réunion, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), BP529 Arue, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
COLETTE C.C. WABNITZ
Affiliation:
Changing Ocean Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia, AERL, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada The Pacific Community (SPC), BP D5, 95 Promenade Roger Laroque, 98848, Nouméa, New Caledonia
CHRISTOPHE MENKES
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentations et Approches Numériques, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, IPSL, UMR CNRS/IRD/MNHN, B.P.A5, 98848, Nouméa, New Caledonia
THIERRY TAMATA
Affiliation:
Direction des Ressources Marines et Minières, Fare Ute, BP 20, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
MICHEL PAHUATINI
Affiliation:
Fishery and Aquaculture of Giant Clams, Management Committee of Giant Clams, 98779 Reao, French Polynesia
IOTEFA TETAIREKIE
Affiliation:
Fishery and Aquaculture of Giant Clams, Management Committee of Giant Clams, 98779 Reao, French Polynesia
IOSUA TEAKA
Affiliation:
Fishery and Aquaculture of Giant Clams, Management Committee of Giant Clams, 98779 Reao, French Polynesia
TEIKI AH SCHA
Affiliation:
Town, Management Committee of Giant Clams, 98779 Reao, French Polynesia
TAIHOPU TEAKA
Affiliation:
Town, Management Committee of Giant Clams, 98779 Reao, French Polynesia
GEORGES REMOISSENET
Affiliation:
Direction des Ressources Marines et Minières, Fare Ute, BP 20, 98713 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
*
*Correspondence: Prof. Serge Andréfouët email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Small-scale mariculture of high-value species for trade in remote islands can offer valuable alternative livelihoods to local communities. The endangered giant clam species Tridacna maxima is naturally abundant in some atolls in French Polynesia (FP) and has been the focus of commercial mariculture activities since 2012. Shortly after spat collectors became operational in two atoll lagoons, FP rose to become one of the main exporters of giant clams for the aquarium trade. However, this activity has been threatened recently by a mass clam-bleaching event triggered by the 2015–2016 El Niño. This study reviews the roles that international (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and national regulatory frameworks play in the development of this activity in a small island context, and how they can indirectly promote better science and monitoring in order to inform adaptive management strategies. The links between the nine main groups of stakeholders show the necessary adaptation measures required to mitigate climate-driven mortalities. While this case study remains specific to giant clam farming in FP, general lessons are provided that could help in mitigating economic impacts from climate-related events on other islands.

Keywords

Tridacna maximaclimate changemariculturemarine policyCITEScoral reef
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 45 , Issue 1: Thematic section. Humans and Island Environments , March 2018 , pp. 30 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Supplementary material can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892917000212

References

REFERENCES

Adessi, L. (2001) Giant clam bleaching in the lagoon of Takapoto atoll (French Polynesia). Coral Reefs 19: 220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adger, W.N., Arnell, N.W. & Tompkins, E.L. (2005) Successful adaptation to climate change across scales. Global Environmental Change – Human and Policy Dimensions 15: 77–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adjeroud, M., Michonneau, F., Edmunds, P.J., Chancerelle, Y., Lison de Loma, T., Penin, L., Thibaut, L., Vidal-Dupiol, J., Salvat, B. & Galzin, R. (2009) Recurrent disturbances, recovery trajectories, and resilience of coral assemblages on a South Central Pacific reef. Coral Reefs 28: 775–780.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andréfouët, S., Gilbert, A., Yan, L., Remoissenet, G., Payri, C &, Chancerelle, Y. (2005) The remarkable population size of the endangered clam Tridacna maxima assessed in Fangatau atoll (Eastern Tuamotu, French Polynesia) using in situ and remote sensing data. ICES Journal of Marine Science 62: 1037–1048.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andréfouët, S., Charpy, L., Lo-Yat, A. & Lo, C. (2012) Recent research for pearl oyster aquaculture management in French Polynesia. Marine Pollution Bulletin 65: 407–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Andréfouët, S., Van Wynsberge, S., Gaertner-Mazouni, N., Menkes, C., Gilbert, A. & Remoissenet, G. (2013) Climate variability and massive mortalities challenge giant clam conservation and management efforts in French Polynesia atolls. Biological Conservation 160: 190–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Andréfouët, S., Dutheil, C., Menkes, C., Bador, M. & Lengaigne, M. (2015) Mass mortality events in atoll lagoons: environmental control and increased future vulnerability. Global Change Biology 21: 195–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bell, J.D., Johnson, J.E. & Hobday, A.J. (2011) Vulnerability of Tropical Pacific Fisheries and Aquaculture to Climate Change. Nouméa, New Caledonia: Secretariat of the Pacific Community.Google Scholar
Brown, B.E. (1997) Coral bleaching: causes and consequences. Coral Reefs 16: S129–S138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cvitanovic, C., Hobday, A.J., van Kerkhoff, L., Wilson, S.K., Dobbs, K. & Marshall, N.A. (2015) Improving knowledge exchange among scientists and decision-makers to facilitate the adaptive governance of marine resources: a review of knowledge and research needs. Ocean & Coastal Management 112: 25–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubousquet, V., Gros, E., Berteaux-Lecellier, V., Viguier, B., Raharivelomanana, P., Bertrand, C. & Lecellier, G. (2016) Changes in fatty acid composition in the giant clam Tridacna maxima in response to thermal stress. Biology Open 5: 1400–1407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DRMM (2015) Bulletin Statistique, Synthèse des Données de la Pêche Professionnelle, de l'Aquaculture et de la Perliculture. Edition 2014. Papeete, French Polynesia: Direction des Ressources Marines et Minières.Google Scholar
Evans, L.S., Brown, K. & Allison, E.H. (2011) Factors influencing adaptive marine governance in a developing country context: a case study of southern Kenya. Ecology and Society 16: 21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, A., Andréfouët, S., Yan, L. & Remoissenet, G. (2006a) The giant clam Tridacna maxima communities of three French Polynesia islands: comparison of their population sizes and structures at early stages of their. ICES Journal of Marine Science 63: 1573–1589.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, A., Remoissenet, G., Yan, L. & Andréfouët, S. (2006b) Special traits and promises of the giant clam (Tridacna maxima) in French Polynesia. Fisheries Newsletter – South Pacific Commission 118: 44–52.Google Scholar
Gillett, R. (2016) Fisheries in the economies of the Pacific island countries and territories. Asian Development Bank, 2nd Edition. Nouméa, New Caldeonia: Secretariat of the Pacific Community.Google Scholar
Holling, C. (1978) Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management. New York, NY: Wiley.Google Scholar
Junchompoo, C., Sinrapasan, N., Penpain, C. & Patsorn, P. (2013) Changing seawater temperature effects on giant clams bleaching, Mannai Island, Rayong province, Thailand. Proceedings of the Design Symposium on Conservation of Ecosystem (the 12th SEASTAR2000 workshop), 71–76.Google Scholar
Klumpp, D.W., Bayne, B.L. & Hawkins, A.J.S. (1992) Nutrition of the giant clam Tridacna gigas (L.) I. Contribution of filter feeding and photosynthesis to respiration and growth. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 155: 105–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leggat, W., Buck, B.H., Grice, A. & Yellowlees, D. (2003) The impact of bleaching on the metabolic contribution of dinoflagellate symbionts to their giant clam host. Plant, Cell and Environment 26: 1951–1961.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCook, L.J., Ayling, T., Cappo, M., Choat, J.H., Evans, R.D., De Freitas, D.M., Heupel, M., Hughes, T.P., Jones, G.P., Mapstone, B., Marsh, H., Mills, M., Molloy, F.J., Pitcher, C.R., Pressey, R.L., Russ, G.R., Sutton, S., Sweatman, H., Tobin, R., Wachenfeld, D.R. & Williamson, D.H. (2010) Adaptive management of the Great Barrier Reef: a globally significant demonstration of the benefits of networks of marine reserves. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107: 18278–18285.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mumby, P.J., Chisholm, J.R.M., Edwards, A.J., Andréfouët, S. & Jaubert, J. (2001) Cloudy weather may have saved Society Island reef corals during the 1998 ENSO event. Marine Ecology Progress Series 222: 209–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narayan, P.K. & Narayan, S. (2004) Is there a long-run relationship between exports and imports? Evidence from two pacific island countries. Economic Papers 23; 152–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Remoissenet, G. & Wabnitz, C.C. (2012) Postlarval capture and culture of Tridacna maxima giant clams in French Polynesia. Lettre d'Information sur les Pêches de la CPS 139: 16–19.Google Scholar
Reynolds, R.W., Rayner, N.A., Smith, T.M., Stokes, D.C. & Wang, W. (2002) An improved in situ and satellite SST analysis for climate. Journal of Climate 15: 1609–1625.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheppard, C. (2009) Large temperature plunges recorded by data loggers at different depths on an Indian Ocean atoll: comparison with satellite data and relevance to coral refuges. Coral Reefs 28: 399–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schiermeier, Q. (2015) Hunting the Godzilla El Niño. Nature 526: 490–491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tompkins, E.L. (2005) Planning for climate change in small islands: insights from national hurricane preparedness in the Cayman Islands. Global Environmental Change – Human and Policy Dimensions 15: 139–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Hooidonk, R., Maynard, J.A. & Planes, S. (2013) Temporary refugia for coral reefs in a warming world. Nature Climate Change 3: 508–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Wynsberge, S., Andréfouët, S., Gaertner-Mazouni, N., Wabnitz, C.C.C., Gilbert, A., Remoissenet, G., Payri, C. & Fauvelot, C. (2016) Drivers of density for the exploited giant clam Tridacna maxima: a meta-analysis. Fish and Fisheries 17: 567–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Wynsberge, S., Andréfouët, S., Gilbert, A., Stein, A. & Remoissenet, G. (2013) Best management strategies for sustainable giant clam fishery in French Polynesia islands: answers from a spatial modeling approach. PLoS ONE 8: e64641 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: Image

Andréfouët supplementary material

Figure S1

Download Andréfouët supplementary material(Image)
Image 2.1 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Andréfouët supplementary material

Figure S2

Download Andréfouët supplementary material(Image)
Image 3.4 MB
Supplementary material: File

Andréfouët supplementary material

Andréfouët supplementary material 1

Download Andréfouët supplementary material(File)
File 28.7 KB